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Gobi March Blogs 2010

Rohit Apte

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Gobi March (2010) blog posts from Rohit Apte

02 July 2010 09:27 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

the crazy stage 5 is finally done. ended up with total confusion at the end but we're through. just 10k to go tomorrow and its over.no injuries on my side except for a few minor blisters. my uncle has a few nasty blisters but a few days rest and he should be fine.
its been madness over the last 6 days. we've lived through everything from freezing nights, sleet rain, scorching mountains and spent hours traversing salt flats where temperataures hit 50 degrees (the water in the bottles would warm up!). overall it was a great experience and i am happy to have done it.
more to follow when i return to civilization tomorrow. havent slept in over 40 hours and run 110k!

Comments: Total (11) comments

Posted On: 06 Jul 2010 05:10 am

buena fuerte!!! mate awesome achievement..ill be having a frosty or two in your honour this evening!!!

Posted On: 05 Jul 2010 03:42 am

Roro well done! I'm not disappointed in you at all.. rather, mutedly proud! Can't wait to see your photos. So, next time I see you in HK, no more excuses on fight training or gobi training ok? It's time to bust open the wine collection!

Posted On: 04 Jul 2010 01:00 am

Splendid job, Rohit, as always! Keep going, keep up the spirit and I can promise you something better than Chipotle (yes, such a thing does exist!) when you return to civilization and come this side of the world.

Posted On: 03 Jul 2010 07:11 am

Rohit - truly awesome effort. Sitting here we can never get an idea of what you have endured - it sounds totally crazy - although I very much look forward to hearing of your experience. Very impressed by your uncle too - the two of you will share this experience forever. Stay safe and look forward to seeing you back in HK.

Posted On: 03 Jul 2010 02:51 am

Wonderful, wonderful! We are truly proud of both of you. Good luck for the final day. As you sweat it out, we are all having a celebratory breakfast mimosa on you :-)

Posted On: 03 Jul 2010 01:50 am

Well done. we are proud of you. our congrats to Shirish too as at 60 it is a great achievement

Posted On: 03 Jul 2010 12:58 am

Fantastic!! Well done!! Yeah the Aptes.

Posted On: 02 Jul 2010 09:02 pm

Congratulations!!! So proud!

Posted On: 02 Jul 2010 07:55 pm

Well done! I am proud of you.

Posted On: 02 Jul 2010 07:04 pm

Bravo!!!!! Forza! I am a friend of Khalid and Aparna and Shaheen and really impressed by the race. Well done. Goodluck for the last dunes and enjoy the end. Alex

Posted On: 02 Jul 2010 05:27 pm

AWESOME! Huge congratulations from us both!

01 July 2010 10:34 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Got through stage 4 a little faster today. Decided my uncle had figured everything out and I wanted to spend less time on my feet. After three days of very cold weather (it got to freezing the first night and we had a lot of cold rain yesterday), the remainder of the march is in the Turpan basin. Temperatures hit 40 celcius when I was out there and are even higher right now. My uncle finished a little after me (to all family reading this, hes ok, in great spirits, resting and working on a game plan for tomorrow).
Picked up 2 nasty blisters running through the sand today. In retrospect, should have stopped to address them but didnt want to stay in the heat so long.
Big day tomorrow. Little worried about the heat. Trying to stay hydrated and plan to race into the night. If I get through stage 5, theres 22k of dunes on the last day. We have completed about half the distance so far. Trying to stay positive and cover the bulk of the remainder tomorrow.
More to follow Friday, after the long stage.

Comments: Total (0) comments

29 June 2010 08:23 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Today began with 6 river crossings. Was annoying to switch shoes to cross the river each time but made it through with dry feet. Te next 2 sections were hot with lots of hills and ended with a long march through some flat parts to camp.
The temperatures have started to heat up. Legs are sore and we ave a 4am start tomorrow. 2 hour bus ride to the start of stage 5 and we begin the final three stages in the turpan basin.
Still hanging in there but starting to feel the distance on the legs. If we get through tomorrow theres the 99k day to worry about.
 

Comments: Total (14) comments

Posted On: 02 Jul 2010 01:26 pm

Congrats on finishing the long one! You're almost there! We're all so proud.

Posted On: 02 Jul 2010 04:25 am

well done mate -

Posted On: 01 Jul 2010 04:16 pm

No updates, suppose u r getting ready for the long one. thinking about u.

Posted On: 01 Jul 2010 04:03 pm

Rohitya, no update but you must be getting ready for the 99k tomorrow. Getting this far is a hugely significant achievement and we are cheering for you. We know you have the strength of mind to power through the 99k. All the best , friend..

Posted On: 01 Jul 2010 08:21 am

No update today! your loyal fans demand it. If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve their turn long after they are gone And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the will that says "hold on!" If you can grow a forbidding moustache you will be a man my son

Posted On: 30 Jun 2010 05:37 pm

well done mate for making it this far, focus and man-up for the 99km. try to stretch out if you can and think about knocking monkey out with a kick in the temple!!!

Posted On: 30 Jun 2010 02:28 pm

mama we exsited that you are woking The Gobee desert. Good lak. love antara

Posted On: 30 Jun 2010 12:43 pm

Hang in there! We're all so proud of both you! Chipotle's on me when you get to NY :)

Posted On: 30 Jun 2010 09:44 am

Hope it went well Rohit. Good luck for tomorrow - hope the legs hold out!

Posted On: 30 Jun 2010 04:59 am

Well done! The bag must be lighter now and hope that makes the 99K a little bit easier.

Posted On: 30 Jun 2010 02:58 am

well done so far. keep it up and our thoughts are with you for 99k completion.

Posted On: 30 Jun 2010 01:51 am

Mate...Awesome...Keep it going,im sure you can hammer though the 99k...Good luck

Posted On: 29 Jun 2010 07:31 pm

I love chipotle! But getting all the bloodstains out of my underwear is a nightmare

Posted On: 29 Jun 2010 06:54 pm

I am rooting so hard for you! Good luck for tomorrow. You are probably up and on your way on the 4a.m. bus ride as I write this. Hang in there and watch for the Chipotle at the end of the road.

28 June 2010 09:06 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Finished day 2 a few hours ago. Went a lot better than Day 1. The course started with some steep hills but the descent was not as dangerous as yesterday and we were able to cover ground a little faster. I did end up getting a few blisters but learned to manage them. So far, they're not as bad as I had imagined. Les see how the feet hold up through the course. We had our first river crossing today and it was nice to get some cold water on the feet.
The weather has been very unpredictable so they've had to make some changes to the course. The longest day is now 99 kilometers and goes through the hottest part of the course. Not even thinking about that at the moment. Goal right now is to get some dinner and get ready for Stage 3. Six river crossings tomorrow before it gets very hot and dry. Looking forward to a quick swim so I don’t smell as bad!
More to follow tomorrow...

Comments: Total (5) comments

Posted On: 29 Jun 2010 03:23 pm

Good going. Water should cool you.

Posted On: 29 Jun 2010 02:52 pm

Rohit, Only 15 hours behind first place. You can do it. I hear they opened up a Chipotle at the finish line. As your buddy Johnny Black would say, Keep Walking. I am incredibly impressed with your achievement so far. Keep up the great effort.

Posted On: 29 Jun 2010 11:40 am

Good job. Go west, young man. "Smell bad" ... Don't worry (followed by usual and obligatory racist remark ...)

Posted On: 29 Jun 2010 05:41 am

Yoyoyo nice work so far. Here's your daily run: (yield) 2y: .49 5y: 1.54 10y: 2.54 30y: 3.82 SP500: 930 Just kidding dude (!) keep your mind on the next hill and those oh-so-lovely riverbeds! Drain your blisters religiously. Good luck.

Posted On: 29 Jun 2010 05:27 am

Well done and glad to hear you are hitting your stride .. Uttara and I are cheering for you. ps: Is your not bathing part of the challenge for other competitors ;-)

27 June 2010 08:31 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Just finished day 1. Only 32 kilometers but proved to be a lot harder than I expected. Was on par with a difficult hike in Hong Kong with steep slopes and treacherous paths down them to boot. To make matters more interesting, my uncle and I got lost at one point, not seeing the flags pointing the way up the hill. Lost a lot of time before we realized our mistake and ended up walking a lot more than we had to. But we're at camp, our spirits are high and we are ready for day 2.
The terrain is very rugged and amazingly beautiful. Took lots of photographs along the way which I'll post when I'm back in civilization.
Stage 1 done. 5 to go...

Comments: Total (8) comments

Posted On: 28 Jun 2010 11:21 pm

Day 2 done, or are you lost in the desert? Go west, young man! And keep some energy for the after-party!

Posted On: 28 Jun 2010 04:07 pm

Great stuff- all the best for day 2! Watch out for Mongolian Death Worms.

Posted On: 28 Jun 2010 03:26 pm

Yay! Good luck for tomorrow! We\'ll be thinking of you both!

Posted On: 28 Jun 2010 03:25 pm

Yay! Good luck for tomorrow! We'll be thinking of you both!

Posted On: 28 Jun 2010 04:27 am

Good work getting through day 1. Keep it up for day 2.

Posted On: 28 Jun 2010 01:56 am

Well done Rohit. All the best for 2nd stage

Posted On: 28 Jun 2010 12:26 am

Hi Rohit, hope your legs hold up well for day 2. Looking forward to seeing the photos and wishing you all the best. Enjoy the scenery. Natalia

Posted On: 27 Jun 2010 11:26 pm

well done! guys!!

25 June 2010 10:09 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Got through registration and all he formalities. My backpack weighed in at exactly 10kilos. My uncle was at 9.2. We have a four hour drive to our camp soon and, after a night there we begin the long march tomorrow. The competitors consist of a few professional runners and a lot of people like us just looking to finish the race. It's a great group of people and I am excited to be here. The temperatures had dropped but look to be picking up again. Seems like we will have a hot race. More to follow. Stay posted.

Comments: Total (2) comments

Posted On: 27 Jun 2010 03:01 am

how did shirish manage to have 800g less than you? good luck and look after each other. kaki

Posted On: 26 Jun 2010 05:40 am

Good luck for the race to both you and Uncle Shirish! Tell your youthful uncle he is missing only mist and rain in HK so he's in a better place. We expect you to look after Citi's valuable asset.

24 June 2010 05:45 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Flying out to Urumqi in a few hours. 2 days to go for the race. Managed to fit everything in the backpack and actually got the weight down to under 10kilos. I think my state of mind right now can best be described as cautiously optimistic.
Thanks to everyone for your wishes and watch out for updates as I go along.

Comments: Total (0) comments

14 June 2010 08:37 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Just 12 days to go and I am currently obsessed with sorting out the equipment. I guess staring at numbers on a screen for a living gives you good practice at analyzng your pack weight, food efficency, etc  Have my pack down to 10.3 kilos and debating a last minute backpack switch to bring it under 10.
Still worried about the 90k day. Looked at temperatures on the web for the nearest town (Turpan) and they are expected to hit the mid 40s this week. The last time they raced in this area, it actually got to 50 celcius at one point! HK has been hot and humid, but the temperature is nowhere near the levels we will encounter.
Last weekend of intense training coming up. Aiming for 100k over 3 days and then its time to taper off for the race.

Comments: Total (1) comments

Posted On: 24 Jun 2010 08:06 am

Rohit, all the best. It will be an amazing and significant achievement. Full respect to all the preparation - I know you can do it !

09 June 2010 10:17 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Just a few weeks left to go and the nervousness is starting to creep in. Got some intense training the next two weekends and then its hope and pray that I've done enough to get me through the race.
The training has been an amazing experience and I am really looking forward to the Gobi.

Comments: Total (4) comments

Posted On: 24 Jun 2010 01:15 pm

Hey all the best of british to you and shirish. will talk when u complete.

Posted On: 24 Jun 2010 08:53 am

Mate,wishing you all the luck....Will monitor your progress as you race...!!!

Posted On: 11 Jun 2010 04:40 am

I am going to be pulling for you and your uncle. Remember, it is 75% mental!

Posted On: 11 Jun 2010 03:50 am

Hey Rohit. Great to meet you on Wednesday evening. Good luck with the final preps. Looks cold up on the Great Wall in your photo!!